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Books you should know about
Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
From your OverDrive DCL: Bestseller Anderson is back with an exciting Middle Grade historical about young Elspeth Culpepper. She and her father lost the rest of the family in Philadelphia due to a smallpox outbreak, and then they arrived in Boston to start a new life just as the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. Soon British-controlled Boston is under siege by the Patriot Army, which is tough enough for Elspeth and her father. Then smallpox explodes across the city, leaving the two of them some of the few people able to care for sick.
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780 by Rick Atkinson
From your OverDrive DCL: I’m not even going to try and downplay this—The Fate of the Day is unquestionably my most anticipated read of 2025. Atkinson, a Pulitzer-prize winning historian for his WWII trilogy, is now tackling the American Revolution. Book 1, The British Are Coming, which covers the War from 1775-1777, was one of my favorite reads of 2019, and I fully expect this follow up about the war from 1777-1780 to be near the top of my favorites again. What really sets Atkinson’s series apart from other Am Rev books is his depth. He’s in the Patriot Army camps with George Washington, like other histories, but he’s also in Quebec for the early battles that happened in Canada, and the shipyards of Portsmouth England, and truly, everywhere that had an impact. And yet, even with all that detail, his books are compelling and easy to follow.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
From your OverDrive DCL: Recently named one of Kirkus’s Best Nonfiction books of the 21st Century, Chernow’s remarkable biography is more than just the inspiration for a popular musical. It is a thorough look at one of the most significant Founding Fathers—soldier, economist, political theorist—Alexander Hamilton is one of the men most responsible for shaping America. And Chernow’s incredibly readable writing actually makes the pages fly by. I’m particularly a fan of the Scott Brick read audiobook!
Shots Heard Round the World: America, Britain, and Europe in the Revolutionary War by John Ferling
From the publisher: In April 1775, British troops marched to Lexington, where an armed group of Yankees awaited them. Despite an order to disperse, shots rang out. Militiamen were killed. The British continued marching, only to find even greater trouble in Concord and all the way down the road back to Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.
Shots Heard Round the World is a bold, comprehensive rendering of the world war that erupted out of America’s battle for independence. Ferling highlights underestimated pivotal moments to reveal why the British should have put down the rebellion within a couple years of fighting. As European rivals France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic entered the fray, Britain’s problems grew, but after seven long years, the war’s outcome remained very much in doubt. Ferling assesses military and civilian leaders, the choices they faced, and the political, tactical, and strategic decisions they made as the war raged in North America, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Asia, and on the high seas, affecting peoples and countries miles from American soil.
The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy
From your OverDrive DCL: I’ve actually mentioned this one in a previous post, but it’s hard to think of a better book to commemorate the start of the war than The Ride. A biography of Paul Revere, the book dives into a lot of what made Revere different from many of the other Boston rebels, such as his decidedly more modest background and wealth. But he had the patriotic zeal necessary to fit in with John Adams, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and the rest of the patriots at the start of America’s War of Independence.
A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution by Andrew Lawler
From the publisher: As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest, and most populous province in British North America, was led by Lord Dunmore, who counted George Washington as his close friend. But the Scottish earl lacked troops, so when patriots imperiled the capital of Williamsburg, he threatened to free and arm enslaved Africans—two of every five Virginians—to fight for the Crown.
Chronicling these stunning and widely overlooked events in full for the first time, A Perfect Frenzy offers a striking new perspective on the American Revolution that reorients our understanding of its causes, highlights the radically different motivations between patriots in the North and South, and reveals the seeds of the nation’s racial divide.
The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, 1775–1776 by Tom McMillan
From the publisher: This gripping account reveals the precarious path to American independence through a series of pivotal dates that history has nearly forgotten. While July 4th claims the glory, the actual vote for independence came on July 2nd—and even that historic moment almost didn’t happen. From January’s publication of Common Sense to December’s darkest hours of the Revolution, McMillan reconstructs the dramatic months when rebellious colonies transformed into a new nation.
This timely narrative strips away the myths to expose the raw political courage that launched a revolution. From heated Congressional debates to the dangerous aftermath of declaring independence, McMillan delivers a fresh perspective on America’s founding that resonates powerfully with today’s political challenges.
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis and Leo Trinidad
From your OverDrive DCL: What was the Battle of New York like? Get a first-hand account in this exciting I Survived graphic novel. Nathaniel Fox is just 11, living in Connecticut with British loyalists while his father is at sea. But then fate carries him to New York City for one of the Revolution’s first major, and most deadly, battles. There is also some great additional back matter about Colonial America included and a bibliography for young readers who want more.
If you’re interested in exploring more titles that center around the American Revolution, you can explore our full Readers’ Advisory List!
Must-Watch Films
America’s Founding Fathers (2017)
From the studio: In collaboration with Smithsonian, The Great Courses presents a deep dive into the creation of the US Constitution as it actually happened. Using the Founding Fathers as a lens through which to examine the early political history of the United States, you’ll better understand both the document under which Americans live and the people who brought it into being.
Liberty!: The American Revolution (1997)
From the studio: LIBERTY! The American Revolution is a dramatic documentary about the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of a loosely connected group of states to become a nation. The George Foster Peabody award-winning series brings the people, events and ideas of the revolution to life through military reenactments and dramatic recreations performed by a distinguished cast.
Washington (2020)
From the studio: You may think you know George Washington, but there’s more to our preeminent founding father than you’ve been told. Washington chips away the marble to reveal the man at the heart of our nation’s story.
A little Extra something
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About the author: Shelia did everything from answering questions at the Reference Desk to tech training to running a classic lit book club in her 17 years in public libraries. Now she helps other public libraries make the most of their OverDrive collections. In her spare time, she’s either writing or reading, usually with an opera playing in the background. If you ever run into her, ask Shelia about #WITMonth.
